Communication issues appear to be plaguing the ongoing contract negotiations between the federal Treasury Board and Canada's biggest federal public service union, and no one can agree who's at fault.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada held a news conference Saturday afternoon to accuse the Treasury Board of failing to respond to a revised offer tabled on Thursday night.
But Treasury Board President Mona Fortier's office immediately shot back, saying the union wasn't reachable all day Friday and cancelled a planned meeting Saturday nine minutes after first accepting it.
Both sides are now back at the bargaining table.
The two parties have been at odds for the last two years since negotiations began in June 2021, but more than 100-thousand public servants officially walked off the job on Wednesday.
Wage increases are top of mind for the union, which is asking for an annual 4.5 per cent increase over the next three years.
The feds gave them a counter offer of three per cent a year over the same time period.